NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 05: Kyrie Irving # 11 of the Brooklyn Nets drive against the Utah Jazz … [+]
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Kyrie Irving has already missed six games with the Brooklyn Nets and head coach Steve Nash said he is “to be confirmed” if he loses seventh place.
Irving was unavailable Saturday when James Harden made his Nets debut with Kevin Durant against Orlando Magic. He finally played on Jan. 5 due to a combination of “personal reasons” and NBA Covid-19 protocols.
“Hopefully we’re close, I can’t give you an update on that,” head coach Steve Nash said on Zoom pre-game.
“We have assessed that as we go forward. We want to make sure it ramps accordingly so that it is not prone to unnecessary injuries, protect it as best we can. But hopefully it’s a short time and that needs to be confirmed. ”
The Nets play Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday in a national game on TNT.
On Friday, Irving was fined $ 50,000 by the NBA for violating Covid’s league protocols and was to lose about $ 870,000 in total, including payout For two games he lost at NBA-led quarantine this week.
Irving makes about $ 410,000 per game and a deductible salary for two games in addition to paying the $ 50,000 fine.
“Of course I’m not going to be shy about it, of course the group are upset that none of our players, in this particular Kyrie case, are not among us, not in the trenches with us and so on. out, ”Nets GM Sean Marks said Thursday. “And so I don’t want to profit and say why it’s out there and so on. I have been talking to him and I will have conversations and I look forward to him being back in the gym and he will talk to this and we will sit down with him. ”